Mumbai:
Despite repeated efforts by railway management officials to create awareness about the dangers of crossing the tracks, better sense is yet to prevail and many continue to flirt with danger and death. Disregard for these warnings claimed a woman's life and landed her nine-year-old daughter in a city hospital with severe head injuries.
Khar resident 36-year-old Raseela Kirtikumar Rawat, and her daughter Beenal were crossing the tracks between Khar and Bandra railway stations at 1.58 pm yesterday afternoon, when they were hit by a Churchgate-bound local. The train went over Raseela killing her on the spot, while Beenal suffered a severe head injury and was rushed to Bhabha hospital in Bandra.
Beenal, a student of class IX in M M Pupils' Own School in Khar (West) was returning home with her mother to Saraswati Kitri Chawl, Lal Maidan, Khar (East). They were crossing the tracks as they regularly did when the local hit them at a spot between poles 15/15 and 15/16 killing Raseela instantly. The victims were taken to Bandra station in a train that was following the train that hit them and then rushed to hospital.
Beenal's father Kirtikumar Rawat, a flower vendor by profession, was at work when the incident occurred. Officials of the Bandra railway police station searched Beenal's school bag and found his phone number on her identity card and informed him of the mishap sending him into a state of shock.
Beenal is still unaware of her mother's death and was taken to Lilavati Hospital for a CT scan.
An official at the Bandra railway police station said, "Mother and daughter were walking from school in Khar west towards their home in Khar east. The Churchgate-bound local hit them while they were crossing the tracks near Khar level crossing at around 1.58 pm. The motorman immediately informed the Bandra station and the victims were brought to the station in the very next train. After providing first aid to Beenal, both victims were rushed to Bhabha hospital."
According staff members at Bhabha Hospital, Raseela and Beenal were brought in at around 2.45 pm. Beenal was bleeding profusely from a head injury and was immediately shifted to the ICU, while Raseela was declared brought dead.